II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1459 

To establish Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Park in the State 

of South Carolina, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 28, 2017 

Mr. SCOTT (for himself and Mr. GRAHAM) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources 

A BILL 

To establish Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Park 

in the State of South Carolina, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fort Sumter and Fort 

5 Moultrie National Park Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) Fort Sumter National Monument was es9 tablished by the Joint Resolution entitled ‘‘Joint 

10 Resolution to establish the Fort Sumter National 


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1 Monument in the State of South Carolina’’, ap2 proved April 28, 1948 (16 U.S.C. 450ee), to com3 memorate historic events in the vicinity of Fort 

4 Sumter, the site of the first engagement of the Civil 

5 War on April 12, 1861; 

6 (2) Fort Moultrie— 

7 (A) was the site of the first defeat of the 

8 British in the Revolutionary War on June 28, 

9 1776; and 

10 (B) was acquired by the Federal Govern11 ment from the State of South Carolina in 1960 

12 under the authority of chapter 3201 of title 54, 

13 United States Code; 

14 (3) since 1960, Fort Moultrie has been admin15 istered by the National Park Service as part of the 

16 Fort Sumter National Monument without a clear 

17 management mandate or established boundary; 

18 (4) Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie played im19 portant roles in the protection of Charleston Harbor 

20 and in the coastal defense system of the United 

21 States; 

22 (5) Fort Moultrie is the only site in the Na23 tional Park System that preserves the history of the 

24 United States coastal defense system during the pe25 riod from 1776 through 1947; and 


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1 (6) Sullivan’s Island Life Saving Station, lo2 cated adjacent to the Charleston Light— 

3 (A) was constructed in 1896; and 

4 (B) is listed on the National Register of 

5 Historic Places. 

6 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map en9 titled ‘‘Boundary Map, Fort Sumter and Fort 

10 Moultrie National Historical Park’’, numbered 392/ 

11 80,088, and dated November 30, 2009. 

12 (2) PARK.—The term ‘‘Park’’ means the Fort 

13 Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Park established 

14 by section 4(a). 

15 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

16 the Secretary of the Interior. 

17 (4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

18 of South Carolina. 

19 (5) SULLIVAN’S ISLAND LIFE SAVING STATION

20 HISTORIC DISTRICT.—The term ‘‘Sullivan’s Island 

21 Life Saving Station Historic District’’ means the 

22 Charleston Lighthouse, the boathouse, garage, bunk23 er/sighting station, signal tower, and any associated 

24 land and improvements to the land that are located 


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1 between Sullivan’s Island Life Saving Station and 

2 the mean low water mark. 

3 SEC. 4. FORT SUMTER AND FORT MOULTRIE NATIONAL 

4 PARK. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Fort 

6 Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Park in the State as 

7 a unit of the National Park System to preserve, maintain, 

8 and interpret the nationally significant historical values 

9 and cultural resources associated with Fort Sumter, Fort 

10 Moultrie, and the Sullivan’s Island Life Saving Station 

11 Historic District. 

12 (b) BOUNDARY.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The boundary of the Park 

14 shall be comprised of the land, water, and sub15 merged land depicted on the map. 

16 (2) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The map shall be 

17 on file and available for public inspection in the ap18 propriate offices of the National Park Service. 

19 (c) ADMINISTRATION.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

21 through the Director of the National Park Service, 

22 shall administer the Park in accordance with this 

23 Act and the laws generally applicable to units of the 

24 National Park System, including— 


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1 (A) section 100101(a), chapter 1003, and 

2 sections 100751(a), 100752, 100753, and 

3 102101 of title 54, United States Code; and 

4 (B) chapter 3201 of title 54, United States 

5 Code. 

6 (2) INTERPRETATION OF HISTORICAL

7 EVENTS.—The Secretary shall provide for the inter8 pretation of historical events and activities that oc9 curred in the vicinity of Fort Sumter and Fort 

10 Moultrie, including— 

11 (A) the Battle of Sullivan’s Island on June 

12 28, 1776; 

13 (B) the Siege of Charleston during 1780; 

14 (C) the Civil War, including— 

15 (i) the bombardment of Fort Sumter 

16 by Confederate forces on April 12, 1861; 

17 and 

18 (ii) any other events of the Civil War 

19 that are associated with Fort Sumter and 

20 Fort Moultrie; 

21 (D) the development of the coastal defense 

22 system of the United States during the period 

23 from the Revolutionary War to World War II, 

24 including— 


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1 (i) the Sullivan’s Island Life Saving 

2 Station; 

3 (ii) the lighthouse associated with the 

4 Sullivan’s Island Life Saving Station; and 

5 (iii) the coastal defense sites con6 structed during the period of fortification 

7 construction from 1898 to 1942, known as 

8 the ‘‘Endicott Period’’; and 

9 (E) the lives of— 

10 (i) the free and enslaved workers who 

11 built and maintained Fort Sumter and 

12 Fort Moultrie; 

13 (ii) the soldiers who defended the 

14 forts; 

15 (iii) the prisoners held at the forts; 

16 and 

17 (iv) captive Africans bound for slavery 

18 who, after first landing in the United 

19 States, were brought to quarantine houses 

20 in the vicinity of Fort Moultrie in the 18th 

21 century, if the Secretary determines that 

22 the quarantine houses and associated his23 torical values are nationally significant. 


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1 (d) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary 

2 may enter into cooperative agreements with public and 

3 private entities and individuals to carry out this Act. 

4 SEC. 5. REPEAL OF EXISTING LAW. 

5 Section 2 of the Joint Resolution entitled ‘‘Joint Res6 olution to establish the Fort Sumter National Monument 

7 in the State of South Carolina’’, approved April 28, 1948 

8 (16 U.S.C. 450ee–1), is repealed. 

Æ 


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